Blight Master (Cleric/Druid)

Gods and angels, demon lords and balors–these are typical powers of the divine planes. While most clerics worship some deity or another, and seek to assistance of their powerful servants, there are those who seek a simpler life among the plants and creatures of natural world. Blight masters strive to gain mastery over the plants and vermin that inhabit the woodlands and forests within their circle of influence. Whether speaking with the vegetation, striding through overgrown areas, or summoning forth plant and vermin minions to fight at her side, the blight master takes control of the field of battle. (Original Concept by Dustyboy)

Primary: Cleric.Secondary: Druid.Alignment: Any. Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The blight master selects three druid skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal cleric class skills. The blight master gains a number of ranks at each level equal to +2 Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The blight master is proficient with all simple weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Blight Magic: A blight master is not a master of animals, but of plants and vermin. At 1st level, a blight master must select the Plant domain, the Decay or Growth subdomain, or the new Vermin or Wildgrove domain. In addition, a blight master can alternatively summon swarms and plant type creatures when she casts the summon nature’s ally spell (see the Blight Master Summing Options table). In addition, all druid spells that specifically affect animals stop doing so and instead affect plant and vermin type creatures. These spells lose the mind-affecting descriptor. The blight master also adds the new animate fungus spell to her list of 3rd–level spells. This spell functions as the animate dead spell, except that it turns corpses into vegepygmies or yellow musk zombies. This ability, plant companion, command infestation, infestation summoner, and blight master replace the cleric’s second domain.

Channel Energy (Su): This is exactly like the cleric ability of the same name, except that the amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage at 1st level, plus 1d6 points of damage every three levels thereafter, up to 7d6 at 19th level.

In addition, a blight master can use her channel energy ability to grow or diminish vegetation. At 1st level, a blight master that channels positive energy can expend one use of her channel energy ability to cause a 40-foot radius circle of vegetation to become thick and overgrown as the plant growth spell. This radius increases by 10 feet every three levels thereafter, up to a 100-foot radius at 19th level. Alternatively, a blight master that channels negative energy can expend one use of her channel energy ability to cause a 40-foot area of vegetation to shrink to about one third its size, untangled, and less bushy, similar to the diminish plants spell. This radius increases by 10 feet for every three levels thereafter, up to a 100-foot radius at 19th level. If the blight master uses channel energy in this way, it has no other effect (it does not heal or harm nearby creatures).

Command Infestation (Su): As a standard action, a blight master can use one of her uses of channel energy to enslave plant or vermin creatures within 30 feet. The creatures receive a Will save to negate the effect. The DC for this Will save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the blight master’s level + her Charisma modifier. Plant or vermin creatures that fail their saves fall under the blight master’s control, obeying her commands to the best of their ability, as if under the effects of control plants. Intelligent plant or vermin creatures receive a new saving throw each day to resist the blight master’s command. A blight master can control any number of plant creatures, so long as their total Hit Dice do not exceed her blight master level. If the blight master uses channel energy in this way, it has no other effect (it does not heal or harm nearby creatures). If a plant creature is under the control of another creature, the blight master must make an opposed Charisma check whenever her orders conflict.

Spontaneous Casting: At 1st level, a blight master can channel stored spell energy into summoning spells that she hasn't prepared ahead of time. She can “lose” a prepared spell in order to cast any summon nature's ally spell of the same level or lower. This ability replaces the cleric’s spontaneous casting.

Speak with Plants (Sp): At 2nd level, a blight master can speak with plants in a 30-foot radius. This ability replaces aura.

Plant Companion (Su): Starting at 5th level, with a ritual requiring 8 hours, a blight master can summon a vegepygmy or animate a single yellow musk zombie whose Hit Dice do not exceed her cleric level. This plant companion automatically follows her commands and does not need to be controlled by her. She cannot have more than one plant companion at a time. It does not count against the number of Hit Dice of plant creatures controlled by other methods. She can dismiss her companion as a standard action, which destroys it.

Infestation Summoner: At 6th level, whenever a blight master summons creatures with a summon nature’s ally spell, she can decide that they appear as either green and leafy (plant) and gain plant type traits, or they are covered in a chitin carapace (vermin) and gain the vermin type plus a +2 natural armor bonus.

Blight Master (Su): As a full-round action, a blight master of 20th level can extend and bore dozens of tendrils into the brain of a helpless creature within reach. This attack inflicts 1d4 points of Intelligence damage per round. When a creature is reduced to 0 Intelligence, it dies, and the tendrils break off inside its brain. One hour later, the creature animates as a yellow musk zombie (see Bestiary).